Beki Borman

I just wanted to point out some new work I have uploaded to the 2008 Gallery.  Particularly, I want to point out “Tree Emerging in Color” and “Tree on a Cool Morning, because I think these works indicate a more subdued direction.  As much as I love going crazy in color and abstract shapes, I want to get back to the subject and make an effort to use subtlety rather than noise to create a more powerful image.

I am currently reading Theories of Modern Art by Herschel B. Chipp.  It is basically a collection of letters and writings by artists such as Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Kandinsky, Klee, etc.  This book is packed with lots of really good insight, discussion, and history.  I was most recently fascinated by Van Gogh grappling with the question of form vs. imagination.  In some of his letters, he insists that direct observation and study of the model is the only way to go.  However, after a brief visit from Gauguin, he is enticed by abstraction and working from his own mind.  He does later reverts back to his old beliefs but reading his thoughts while going through this process is inspiring.  Most artists, myself included, can surely relate to this common artistic dilemma.  I am savoring this book.

This passage was taken from the book:  Theories of Modern Art, Ed. Herschel B. Chipp

Imagination (a letter to Brnard, Arles, April 1888 (B3,p.478)

“The imagination is certainly a faculty which we must develop, one which alone can lead us to the creation of a more exhalting and consoling nature that the single brief glance of reality- which in our sight is ever changing, passing like a flash of lightning-can let us perceive….”

I chose to feature this quote because it is the essence of what I believe art should be.  I think that nature as a subject matter in painting can be a jumping off point for the human mind.  It is here that we can dicover our own creativity, purpose, and greatness. Nature, like us, is an organic manifestation that grows and transforms in reaction to the fluidity of the universe.  As being products of nature, we have that very same power in creativity, to see and redesign as we see fit.